US Foods, Rosemont, Ill., announced plans to expand F. Christiana’s Marrero, La., distribution facility.

The investment will triple the size of the facility to 200,000 square feet in support of expanding distribution opportunities across the region, and create 45 new direct jobs. Construction will begin in late 2018, and the expansion will be completed two years later.

US Foods acquired F. Christiana, a broadline distributor of food and food-related products, with more than 1,800 independent restaurant, hotel and convenience store customers in Louisiana, southern Mississippi and parts of southern Alabama, in June 2017. Discussions about a potential expansion project with US Foods started in October 2017.

“We are excited to strengthen our presence in Louisiana,” says Keith Knight, South region president of US Foods. “This expansion will allow us to continue to grow and serve more customers throughout Louisiana.”